1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an imaging lens and an imaging apparatus, and more specifically to an imaging lens that can be favorably used in, for example, vehicle cameras, portable terminal cameras, and surveillance cameras that use a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor), and the like, and an imaging apparatus equipped with the imaging lens.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, the downsizing and the trend towards high pixel count in image sensors such as, for example, a CCD and a CMOS have been advancing rapidly. Along with this, the downsizing of the bodies of imaging devices and systems is also in progress. As such, imaging lenses mounted on these devices and systems are also demanded to be downsized, in addition to satisfactory optical performance. In the meantime, inexpensive configurations, wide angles, and high performance are demanded for the applications of vehicle cameras and surveillance cameras, along with the downsizing.
As an imaging lens used in vehicle cameras, International Patent Publication No. WO2012/086199 describes a six-element lens system, composed of a negative lens, a positive lens, a negative lens, a positive lens, a positive lens, and a negative lens disposed in order from the object side. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2009-204997 describes a six-element image reading lens having a refractive power (hereinafter, also referred to as “power”) arrangement identical to that described above.